Chandigarh: Green ministry demarcates area around Sukhna on Haryana side

The Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary spread over 25.98 square km (about 6420 acres), is under the administrative control of the union territory of Chandigarh

Rejecting the proposal of the Haryana government to delineate an area of 1,000 metres around the Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary on the Haryana side as an eco-sensitive zone (ESZ), the Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change on November 11 issued a notification demarcating an area of 1 km up to 2.035 km around the Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary on the Haryana side as an ESZ.

In March this year, a draft notification was issued, and objections were sought within 60 days. (HT File)

In March this year, a draft notification was issued, and objections were sought within 60 days.

In January 2017, the UT administration had demarcated an area of 1 km up to 2.75 km from the boundary of the Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary as an eco-sensitive zone (ESZ).

The Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary spread over 25.98 square km (about 6420 acres), is under the administrative control of the union territory of Chandigarh and shares its boundaries with Haryana and Punjab. The sanctuary is located in the Shivalik foothills, which are considered ecologically sensitive and geologically unstable.

In January this year, the Haryana government, in its revised proposal, proposed that an area of 1,000 metres around the Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary on the Haryana side be delineated as an eco-sensitive zone (ESZ).

An earlier draft proposal sent on January 31, 2023, by the state government to the MoEFCC had pitched for delineating the ESZ of the Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary with an extent of 100 metres towards the Haryana side. However, the MoEFCC, in a July 29, 2023, communication, asked the principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF), Haryana, to submit a revised proposal as per the March 2, 2020, orders of the Punjab and Haryana high court. The HC had directed the MoEFCC to notify at least 1 km area from the boundary of the Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary as ESZ falling in Punjab and Haryana within a period of three months.

In 2019, the Supreme Court had scrapped an infrastructure project on the Punjab side, citing that the project land was in close vicinity to the wildlife sanctuary. The apex court in 2022 also placed the minimum ESZ at 1 km from the demarcated boundary of (all) protected areas. Later, however, demarcation of ESZs was made “area-specific” by the top court while maintaining a blanket ban on mining.

As per the notification, the prohibited activities include commercial mining, stone quarrying, crushing units, sawmills, industries causing water, air, noise, and soil pollution, commercial use of natural water resources including groundwater, wood-based industry, etc. Among the regulated activities, no new commercial hotels and resorts shall be permitted within zone 1 and 2 except for accommodation for temporary occupation of tourists related to eco-tourism activities, the draft said.

Regarding construction activities, no new construction of any kind shall be permitted within zone 1. However, the local residents shall be permitted to undertake construction on the land for their bona fide residential use.